Summit of the Heart
by WinryDontShoot
Summary: Madeline and Theo have been videocalling for eight months. Now Theo has traveled back to Canada to reach the summit of Celeste Mountain for real. Maddie is ecstatic to be his guide, and plans to confess her feelings to him... however, a familiar (well-meaning) face shows up to stop her. Madeline X Theo romcom featuring extensive (friendly) conflict between Madeline & Badeline.


AN: Woo here's a Celeste fanfic! Not a lot out there so I figured I'd add to the small collection and also fill the romance fic void. For a ship that the fandom seems to like, it's surprising there's not a Theoline fic yet. I'll add to this if people like it (or maybe even if nobody does lol). For now it's mostly about Badeline, but expect romcom antics in the future. Right now you can expect… fluff, reasonable fears, and some ramblings about pop culture?!

CHAPTER 1: I DREAMT WE SPOKE AGAIN

Maddie sinks into her sleeping bag with a contented sigh. Theo is across the campfire from her, and his back is turned to her; she wonders whether he's asleep, until she hears it: a gentle snore.

Maddie's heart skips. It could make it hard for her to sleep. Maybe. But that sound... that happy, soft sound...

_We haven't even gotten anywhere yet and I'm just so happy to be here._

These past eight months have been a delight. Granted, some days have been hard - real hard. The days that her perfectionism and anxiety came knocking, and she said, for once in her life, "come on in-" - those feelings hit her hard. Sometimes she sobs on the couch. Sometimes, she panics, to be around people she loves - people who have apologized, who she's already forgiven, she swears, but there's still that voice-

_"THEY HURT YOU! DO YOU WANT US TO GET HURT AGAIN?!"_

Badeline. Maddie thought she wouldn't be able to talk to Badeline again. But now that she has decided to "listen" to her - well, she still hears her, loud and clear. Disgust. Panic. Rage. Keeping her out of danger, keeping her from being socially poisoned, keeping her from doing things that could ostracize her - since she's done trying to stifle that impulse, the impulse has made itself a voice, and Maddie knows it sounds like Badeline.

But Madeline knows... she's not really so bad.

Breathing. She takes so very many deep breaths. She lets herself _feel_ \- she lets herself hurt - no more holding it in, not if she wants to get better - she hurts, but she's not hurting herself.

Slowly, steadily... things get warmer. "Badeline" becomes a feeling. "Hey, we shouldn't do this," or "we shouldn't do this thing, because it reminds us of something bad that happened," or "we need to dwell on THIS to make sure nothing that embarrassing ever happens to us ever again." A gentle, cautious, suggesting voice. Madeline listens - she never disappears, she's always there - sometimes there's a moment of tension, as though afraid she won't be heard - but as Madeline stays attentive, Badeline grows quieter and quieter. No more negative emotions that overwhelm her, after a week of suppressing them. No more abusing herself, saying she flat-out shouldn't feel a certain way - and Badeline no longer needs to retaliate, violently and painfully, to make herself heard.

Badeline disappears. Maddie panics at first. Did - did she outgrow her? Doesn't she need her? She couldn't have climbed the mountain without all of herself. Is she weaker now? Is she less of a person?

But Maddie realizes that now she listens to her full intuition. All her mindfulness from day to day, and the focus she channels into her archery, and the calm she seeks between notes in her busy schedule - it has all paid off. All of her is there, flowing in her veins. Badeline is there, watching her, always. Madeline has taken on _her_ traits, just as Badeline did Madeline's on their journey together to the summit - when she learned to be encouraging, and kind to Maddie, and just as determined as she was to make it all the way there. Somewhere inside of Maddie's heart, Badeline is meditating. Maddie sometimes imagines her - stripped of her destructive powers, and her voice no longer a dissonant snarl, and her appearance no longer holding any menace to Maddie. To her imagination, Badeline can still float, and make a few duplicates, but she's no more menace than a sneaky strawberry thief.

Madeline always snorts when she remembers that. She had not noticed it when it happened. From her perspective, she remembers calm, and finally having her snow-clothes off and her hair pulled up into a ponytail, and she was chatting with Theo then, feeling admiration radiate off of him, letting him chatter excitedly, letting him take her picture for a silly InstaPix post. Maddie remembers clear evening weather, down at the base of the mountain, and how happy she was, simply to breathe in and breathe out, and no longer be so offended by Badeline's teasing, and really let it sink in that they were no longer fighting. How wonderful that felt - serene - not everything was fixed yet, she knew - she'd have to spend a lot of discipline in the coming months, learning to pay attention to Badeline when Badeline no longer took the form of an "adorable goth Madeline" who would chuck an occasional snowball at Maddie, or chuckle silently at any mishap Madeline made, or, one time, when Madeline was about to rush into a situation that she, too, knew was over her head:

_"Stop! You'll get hurt!"_

That squeal. That sincere, startled fright. The genuine panic - Madeline would hear such things and no longer hear any menace at all. No more bite. No more purple nails, digging into her skin - no more tendrils of darkness crushing the air from her chest - no more eldritch abominations frightening her into turning back.

Madeline, upon hearing Badeline's startle, would look back and smile.

"Okay," she'd say, stepping back from whatever situation had sent trepidation into her heart too. She walked closer to Badeline, and placed a sincere hand on her cheek. "Let's find another way. Thanks for looking out for me."

"I...? I- okay. Let's do this!"

There was enthusiasm in that voice. But also, the quiver in her catlike pupils - the sudden stiffening of her arms - Badeline was flustered. Flustered!

_That's on me_, Madeline had realized shortly thereafter. _She's never been acknowledged like this before. I... I've never even thanked her, until now._

And it had been that timid soul. That sweet, startled voice - that meek, helpful friend, who was so happy to not be called a monster anymore - it had been that timid soul who kept stealing strawberries when Maddie wasn't looking!

_I knew I was missing some. It just didn't seem QUITE like one hundred and seventy-five berries to me by the time I got to making the filling._ Madeline, in the present, scrunches her eyes shut, wriggling closer to the campfire, but not too close. _I guess I didn't want to blame her for anything, no matter how trivial... but of COURSE she'd do that!_

Madeline thinks she must have been talking to Theo at the time. When he paid attention to her... well. She very clearly got the sense that he was admiring her, appreciating her, praising her - not overly so, and not on basis of achievement (well, okay, so he DID admire her reaching the summit after all) - but just for her personality. He was happy for her - he had been so somber, the night of their talk outside the Mirror Temple, and all the things they said about the past and future and depression and coping mechanisms - and so he shifted again, when Madeline became happy. Maddie felt waves of warmth, happiness, tranquility - excitement for the future, excitement to keep working together with her other half, and finally make some progress - living her life as ALL of herself. Theo had become happy just to see her how she was. She saw it in his eyes. The intentness. The genuine delight that everything worked out. And of course, that childish glee in expectation of strawberry pie.

Madeline had observed him fondly as he snapped more pictures of her. That must have been when Badeline did it. It was only a few, Madeline knows - but Badeline did it, and Maddie didn't realize until the car ride home, when snow was fluttering by, and the highway was empty, and Badeline was lax in shotgun seat, her head smooshed against the window as she watched the firs move past them, and Maddie saw the last signage for Celeste Mountain disappear.

She had to focus on the road, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Badeline dissolving into a white glow. Strength and courage rushed into Maddie's body. With Badeline gone, the shotgun seat belt slapped against leather upholstery. Maddie heard, in a voice laced with that supernatural echo but still trembling with fear, and close to sobbing -

_I love you, Maddie._

Madeline had been floored. She felt like stopping. She needed to pull over - _no! keep driving, that's safer - wait, is that you? - I - are you there -_

And Badeline was gone, and Madeline was left with just herself. All of herself.

Madeline's fingers had tightened on the steering wheel. That's it. They're going to have to try and make it work anyways now. They talked about this - they agreed they'd keep listening to each other - but Madeline still hadn't been looking forward to it.

But then things started slipping into her head. Things that hadn't before, in the previous times she'd fused with Badeline - and it is like a closer communication, a total understanding of all she had been through, rushing into her head all at once. She very quickly realized she was witnessing Badeline's perspective of all of it.

Frustration. _Why isn't Madeline listening to me? How does she ALWAYS get away?!_

Satisfaction. _We're not going anywhere. It's safer if you stay here and I hurt you._

Horror. _Oh gosh what have I been doing this entire time—_

The sensation of staring at trembling hands –

Trying to wrap herself in her hair, wishing she was invisible- even as they were finally moving past it –even when they were climbing TOGETHER -

Grief, fear, nerves - seeing Madeline grin with a threat - (_climb out of here together?! No!_) - The sense of despair at that determination, letting out a growl that lacked the usual sting and she knew it - (_Madeline had better regret it anyways, she's not getting NEAR me, she can't, she can't drag me out of here! No! she's GOING to turn back) -_

Badeline's heart sinking, as Madeline pulled her hair back into a ponytail, cast away her down jacket, and tightened her shoelaces – she _couldn't_ be serious -

_ She's going to defeat me once and for all and drag me up to the Summit like I'm her prisoner-_

And then, the feeling of that moment when Badeline lay defeated, her skin scuffed, her hair limp, her body curling in on itself at the very back of the most distant branch of the hollows, where not even crystal light reaches her - tears, glimmering in her eyes, as she glanced up and Madeline saw herself from an outside perspective, walking forward with burning resolve in her eyes, and her own weak body steeled in a rigid unbroken stride.

Badeline had been scared. Terrified. But for Madeline not to leave her there - _you could have turned around, I could have done my best to not exist-_ for her to instead kneel down and lift her up into a simple, accepting hug - for her to say "we'll talk," and finally, FINALLY ease Baddie's fears, just by saying it was okay to be scared, because being scared made sense - to finally be loved by herself -

Madeline's fingers trembled. Her gaze remained fixed on passing road. She can feel it. She can feel how it felt, when she accepted those hands around her shoulders, feebly pulled herself up, and buried her face in the warm skin of her own shoulder. How it felt to give the hug, and how it felt to receive it. She now remembers everything about what Badeline would know. These things are HER memories now - all of them.

_I finally love myself… and I stole strawberries from my own damn pie filling._

Madeline still - STILL - grins when she thinks about it. What can she say? She knew she couldn't help it, but she did it anyways. It tasted great, and the pie still did too.

_I should have been friends with myself sooner. I could have used the company._

Her video chats with Theo have become part of her routine. They were slow at first. But then they picked up. And soon, Maddie couldn't imagine life without knowing him. She couldn't imagine life barely knowing him, either - how did she ever wind up opening her entire heart and soul so quickly to just the perfect person?

_He loves me. He admires me. He wants my company, he admires my resolve, he - he's happy for me, that I've learned to love myself._

Thinking these happy thoughts, in the campsite in the Forsaken City, with her arms wrapped around her chest, and her body totally limp in blissful repose - even with the snow nipping at her cheeks, Madeline is asleep within minutes.

Darkness.

A place with a hazy feel, but Madeline, upon striking a flashlight, soon finds she is within a cavern filled with reflective crystals.

She's not scared of a place like this anymore. She likes adventures. This has no power over her - or rather, it gives power to her, as one of the coolest places she's ever dreamt.

In her dream, Theo is there. Maddie knows that this place doesn't exist in real life. But she knows that she and Theo are about to do lots of cool exploring together.

A faint thought crosses her mind. She's going to confess to Theo before long. She's been planning it since she agreed to come with Theo to the Summit. Maybe she should do it before they get to the Summit - after all, she wouldn't want it to taint his experience of being at the Summit if he had to reject her there of all places.

A dissonant chord strikes in Madeline's heart.

She whirls around to face something she knows to be ever present.

Glass shatters.

Madeline wakes up.

Madeline doesn't scream herself awake. But she does find herself blinking wearily and staring upwards at a shadow. She can't see the moon... wait, that's a PERSON hanging over her!

Madeline squints.

Long tresses of dark hair. They fall from the shadow's head and tumble down to Madeline's face. They don't suffocate her like they did, but they _do_-

Madeline snickers, shrinking back and carefully brushing it away to keep from tickling her.

Pale red eyes blink. Rounded eyebrows knit together in worry. A fang bites a lower lip, and she starts shaking her head hurriedly, urgently, silently.

Excitement shoots through Madeline's heart.

_Badeline!_

Madeline sits bolt upright, slides out of her sleeping bag, and encases Badeline in a _very_ tight hug.

Madeline hears the shortest of gasps and feels Badeline's body grow stiff. But, like ice melting into a warm drink, Badeline relaxes. Arms wrap around Maddie's back, hands clutch her shoulders from behind, a soft head rests against her own, and their long locks tumble down together.

Maddie's heartbeat had been rapid: frightened at first, and then excited. Now it slows; and as it does so, she realizes:

_I can feel Badeline's heartbeat!_

"I... didn't know I had one," Badeline mumbles. She withdraws from the hug, though she lets Madeline's hands remain on her shoulders. Her eyelids flutter as she tilts her head. "I guess I have one now."

"I guess so. Hey - You're back! _I missed you!"_

"Missed me?" Badeline says, and snorts. "I've been with you the whole time. Did you forget everything we learned?"

"I- I know you're not going away, but - I thought you liked having a body, and so that'd be the first thing you'd do when I got here - materialize. Why wait 'til now?"

Badeline softens. "I- I didn't think you needed me, just yet- and-"

Badeline hugs her arms.

"I like when we're together," she says. "I appreciate when you want to see me, but... you're everything I'm not. We're... not whole, like this."

Madeline nods. "I need to remember to listen to you from outside. Which is totally different from what we've been doing lately... weird, something already feels different. I can't put my finger-"

A snore stops short. Madeline hears a harrowing, "hnuh?"

Madeline gasps and squeezes Badeline's shoulders. Badeline's shoulders stiffen.

"Hey, Madeline?" Theo says, and Maddie can just barely see him rubbing at his eyes - "is- someone there?"

Madeline's mouth perks into a smile as she says, "Just me."

"Huh. I didn't know you- hey, WAIT A MINUTE! Badeline!"

"Uh oh," Badeline squeaks.

"What? Hey, Theo's fine, he's our- uh?" Madeline says.

As Madeline speaks, Badeline ducks behind her and clenches her back.

Madeline glances to Theo. Theo's eyes are dark glimmers of confusion. Madeline feels a shaky hold behind her as a face pushes itself into her hair.

"What's up?" Theo says, with not as much betrayal in his voice as Madeline can see in his despondent brow.

Madeline says, "Uhh..."

Badeline whimpers, _"I'm in my pajamas."_

Madeline's heart is shot through with delight.

Madeline turns around, gently pries Badeline off of her, and looks more closely.

"Oh. My. Gosh," Madeline says. "YOU HAVE STRAWBERRY PAJAMAS?!"

"Woah, what? I didn't know she had pajamas at all. Maddie, what do they look like?"

Madeline glances over. Theo is rolled over and facing the other direction.

Maddie says, "Badeline, it's okay, he's not looking. I- aww. Theo, they're really cute! They're just regular pajamas, but the fabric is a strawberry print, and - awwwwwwwwww, the pocket is a strawberry too! And there's little red ruffles around the hems-"

"You're embarrassing us," Badeline hisses, though her tone lacks venom or resentment. "And yes, I have strawberry pajamas. Deal with it."

"These are like - my ideal pajamas. I need these back home - how does this work? Can I still sew?"

"Let's see if you ever could," Badeline says. "Or maybe the sewing machine still hates us."

"Oh. Right... well, where did you get these? Aren't you cold?"

Badeline hops into the air, floating in the moonlight, her hair rising with power as Madeline admires the full majesty of the strawberry pajamas, Badeline's body silhouetted dramatically in the sky -

"Your clothes are made of material fibers," Badeline says. "Mine are made of magic. I didn't care much for a wardrobe before, but since our self-esteem has gotten better..."

"And that wardrobe includes _strawberry pajamas. _Do they stay with you? Do you - wait, so you can just wear anything?"

"It won't be real," Badeline says. "And I have to want to wear it. But yes, I suppose I could."

"Then - can I see what you look like in that cosplay we've been thinking about?"

Badeline chokes.

_"Theo can't know we're into cosplay!"_

Madeline blinks. "...Doesn't he already?"

Theo says distantly, "It's super cool and I'm a super nerd!"

"Well- yes- but, okay. If we go to a convention, wearing _that_, it would be totally ridiculous!"

"Not at a convention."

"Yeah, but- cosplay! I- I know we want to, but- Okay. I'm scared. You got me."

Madeline smiles. "It's okay to be scared," she says.

Badeline sighs. "Yeah, yeah. We're going to do it anyways, and it's going to be good for us, and we're going to like it. Just... how will we explain it to the extended family?"

"I was thinking I'd talk to you about that," Madeline says. "I really don't know."

Badeline drifts down, until her feet touch softly in the snow. The ripple in her hair, the fluttering in the hems of her pajama pants - they die down, and Badeline is left standing like a normal mortal. Just some short post-college Canadian who spends a lot of time in her own head.

Just like Madeline.

But that's okay.

"We can't really sew," Badeline says. "We'll never pull it off."

"Yeah, but- maybe we will! I think we ought to try."

"You're right. As always." Badeline crosses her arms. She deadpans but doesn't glare.

"Well then?" Madeline says, tilting her head. "Right now it's just us... and Theo... how about we try it anyways?"

"I- I'm not sure if he'd recognize- I—Maddie if we try it this way, this will blow our expectations way out of proportion!"

"Okay," Maddie says. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

She had stood up to admire the sight of Badeline's flowing power (and pajamas). Now she sits back down, hugging her arms and trying to brush some of the cold off her skin. It's time to go back to bed anyways.

"Wait," Badeline says. "I- okay, you got me. I DO want to do it."

Madeline's face lights up. This isn't what she was expecting - she really would have been okay with Badeline not doing it. But now she's excited.

Badeline's chest rises with a deep, focused breath, and she lets one leg draw up in front of her, her spine stretching as magic flows back into her hair, and her clothing begins to ripple and change -

Soft white light fades away.

Madeline, alert and enthused, her previous sleep-fuzziness finally obliterated by the excitement running through her heart - stands back up. She stares into the mixed glows and shadows from flickering campfire, tall trees around them, the shining moon, splintering telephone poles, bright magic, and the Mountain that surrounds them.

Badeline's skin is clasped in gilded armor. Her hair pulls up behind her into a long ponytail, though it does not change color. A circlet dances into existence, wrapping around her forehead. In an effect like a current of pixels washing through the air around her, a spear and a shield form in her hand and on her arm.

"How do I look?" Badeline says, eyelids lax with smugness, and her smile genuine enough to show her fangs. "Think we could make this in time for RTX?"

"RTX? I wish. We can't make travel plans for Texas at this time of year - hey, wait! Theo - show Theo! THEO, LOOK!"

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIII don't recognize you," Theo says, his words dazed with the sleep that reclaims him- "but you look super cool... anime-Badeline..."

Badeline rolls her eyes but she's still smiling. "RWBY isn't an anime... or is it?"

Madeline shrugs.

"I don't think we could make it look THAT cool," she says. "But... wait, I have the hair! How did I start planning this without realizing that I have her hair?!"

"Because you were too stressed out about Worbla prices, darling. At least we have the shortcut on hair, though the money we spend on shampoo probably outweighs a good wig." Badeline twirls her spear in her hand. "Anyhow, Theo - this is Pyrrha Nikos. She-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SPOIL IT FOR HIM!"

"What? How dare you insinuate that. I thought we agreed that THAT is out of the question. Even though I AM the person who told him Snape kills Dumbledore."

"Don't remind me!" Theo moans. "I'll never read the series now - I'm spoiled forever!"

Meekness crosses Badeline's face. "I- yeah. I'm- I'm still a little sorry, about that."

"We thought you probably already knew," Madeline says. "Or at least had it spoiled for you by the Internet."

Theo grumbles. But his head lifts, as he squints harder and fumbles in his backpack pocket -

"Do I get a cosplay Badeline selfie?"

Badeline's lips tighten. "No- full-on photos—_please."_

"I won't post it-"

"Theo," Maddie says, "Don't pressure her."

"Oh, okay. She's the camera-shy part of you... aw, I'm so sorry. I forgot."

Badeline stuffs her face in the palms of her hands. "It's bad enough that you got pictures of Madeline and I cuddling."

"I haven't shown those to a soul. You know I haven't posted them. Do you want me to delete them? I can if you want."

Madeline tilts her head curiously at Badeline.

Badeline doesn't lift her face.

_'Just between you and me...'_ her voice says, cutting into Madeline's thoughts, _'I let that happen. I... I like him as much as you do. I didn't really mind... I trusted him... and, well, I wanted him to have something to remember us by.'_

Madeline gasps. "We have telepathy?!"

Badeline peers through her fingers. "We do now," she says slowly.

"We- wow, we didn't before. It's like - it's like we're still fused? That's crazy. This is crazy, so much is happening already - your powers are changing! I love that - I feel like this means something really significant and cool-"

"We're separate but can still read each other's minds," Badeline concurs. "And I can tell... that you are extremely tired. Go to bed, Madeline."

"Yeah, but- what about you-"

Badeline raises her arms to the heavens, and her clothing changes in a flash to her pajamas.

She gazes restfully at Madeline. "To answer your question," she says, "I'm warm if you're warm. It doesn't matter what I'm wearing."

"Oh... okay. How long have we been like this? Totally empathetic to each other's moods - "

"They're not moods," Badeline says. "Not just yet, when we're separated. I don't think we have THAT level of synchronicity. But our bodily states... Well. I used to run on energy from the Mountain. And now, I run on _you._"

Every word sounds so personal to Maddie, but none of it unsettles her. This isn't a friend, this isn't a family member… this is _her. _She gives Badeline one last smile before curling back up in her bag.

"'Night, me," Madeline mumbles, her eyes closed, her body free of worry and tension.

A chuckle.

"'Night, Maddie."

The sleeping bag begins to rustle.

Madeline's eyes spring open. "Wait, what-"

Madeline feels a back pressed to her own. "There's room for two of us. We're short."

"We're... really doing this?" Madeline says, clutching her hands together -

"...Do you have a problem with it?"

"...No."

The sleeping bag continues to rumple around them, as Badeline adjusts-

Madeline's heart stops, as a clammy arm wraps over her stomach, and a half-smooshed hand grasps her shoulder. She's being spooned! Spooned by the angry part of herself that once tried to kill her!

_'No more running,'_ Madeline reflects. _'We're us. All of us.'_

Badeline agrees. Madeline feels a forehead pressing into the back of her head.

Madeline feels an instant of happy repose - that prickling in her mind, like they're about to fuse.

_'Hey,'_ Madeline supposes, as she relaxes into Badeline's cuddle. _'Why ARE you back? I'm glad to hang out again, but if we're separated, that means something's wrong, right?'_

Badeline lets out a wistful, whisper-quiet sigh.

_'We are in disagreement right now. In this case... Well. I've manifested to protect you from yourself, just like before. I hope that this time, I'm not so misguided - but if you think I'm wrong, we'll talk about it.'_

_'Wrong about what?'_

_'Theo.'_

Madeline's body ices over.

_'Do you... do you not feel the same way, as I do?'_

_'Madeline, Madeline... we LOVE him. That is all of us. I love him, and I'm scared we could lose him.'_

Madeline's eyes are open. She stares, at the slowly-dying campfire flames, as Badeline voices the concern that has been running circles in Madeline's mind full-time for the past three months -

_'If we confess and he doesn't love us back... he might not want to be our friend anymore.'_

_'NO!' _The distressing thought of losing Theo wracks Madeline's head. _'No... We've come so far, and gotten so close - he has to reciprocate! He HAS to!'_

_'I don't know, Maddie. If he doesn't, things could end badly. We'll probably still be friends... maybe... but things would get weird, wouldn't they? We wouldn't be able to go back to what we have right now.'_

Madeline thinks of how wonderful the day with Theo has been. How much they've talked, how much they've hugged -

_'The hug selfie. There was a hug selfie.'_

_'We don't know what that means!'_

_'Okay. You're right. So... We disagree. Now what?'_

_'We give it time,'_ Badeline tells her, _'and we wait and see.'_

_Wait and see_. That's the kind of wisdom Madeline would have given her, when she first started being more patient with Badeline. But now she's on the receiving end of it...

_'Badeline?'_

_'Hmm?'_

_'We'll talk about this. It's okay that we disagree - you might be right, and I might be wrong. But I am REALLY hoping he loves us after all.'_

_'We'll wait and see,'_ Badeline says.

And that is all Maddie hears from her for the evening.

AN: Whoop whoop that's it for the moment. 5k for a first chapter isn't overkill, is it?


End file.
